EX-BASEBALL STAR DECINCES INDICTED FOR INSIDER TRADING

Former Baltimore Orioles All-Star Doug DeCinces and three others were indicted Wednesday on insider trading charges involving the use of information prior to the takeover of a medical device company in California, authorities said.

In 2008, DeCinces was told by a close friend and official at Advanced Medical Optics that Abbott Laboratories planned to pay $21 to $23 a share for the company’s stock, prosecutors said. At the time, Advanced Medical Optics was trading for about $8 a share.

DeCinces began buying Advance Medical stock based on that information and passed along the takeover details to three friends because he wanted to make up for previous investment recommendations that had gone bad, prosecutors said.

When Abbott’s offer was made public, DeCinces sold his newly purchased shares and profited about $1.3 million, court documents show. Abbott acquired Advanced Medical Optics in January 2009.

Also indicted on insider trading charges were David Parker, 60, of Provo, Utah; Fred Scott Jackson, 65, of Newport Beach, and Roger Wittenbach, 69, of Lutherville-Timonium in Maryland.

DeCinces, 62, was charged with 42 counts of securities fraud and one count of money laundering. Each of the fraud counts carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. DeCinces is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 17.

The Securities and Exchange Commission previously filed a civil lawsuit against DeCinces that was settled last year when the former major leaguer agreed to pay $2.5 million. In the lawsuit, federal authorities named James Mazzo, Advanced Medical’s former CEO, as the person who told DeCinces about the pending deal. Mazzo is a senior vice president at Abbott and is not facing criminal charges.

DeCinces was a third baseman during 15 seasons with the Orioles, California Angels and St. Louis Cardinals. He currently is president and CEO of a real estate development firm in Orange County.